Social Sciences Journal
Vol. 2 No. 4 (2026): Agustus

Criminal Liability for Human Trafficking through Fake Job Advertisements on Social Media

Ponica Della Oktavia (Universitas Dehasen Bengkulu)
Ferawati Royani (Universitas Dehasen Bengkulu)
Hurairah Hurairah (Universitas Dehasen Bengkulu)



Article Info

Publish Date
19 Aug 2026

Abstract

Information technology and social media have transformed recruitment patterns in human trafficking. Perpetrators use social media accounts and fraudulent job advertisements to gain trust, reach potential victims, and conceal exploitative purposes. This study examines the criminal liability of perpetrators under Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Criminal Act of Trafficking in Persons and identifies obstacles to enforcement. It applies normative legal research using statutory and conceptual approaches. Legislation, books, and scholarly articles are analysed qualitatively and normatively. The findings show that perpetrators may be held criminally liable when their conduct fulfils the elements of recruitment, transportation, harbouring, transfer, or receipt of a person by means of deception for the purpose of exploitation as regulated in Article 2 paragraph (1) of Law Number 21 of 2007. Social media functions as an instrument for advertising jobs, communicating with victims, and exercising control; therefore, its use does not remove the unlawfulness of the conduct or the perpetrator’s culpability. Enforcement remains constrained by difficulties in tracing identities, limitations in electronic evidence, jurisdictional differences, low digital literacy, weak platform oversight, and insufficient inter-agency coordination. Stronger digital investigation, cooperation with platforms, verification of job advertisements, and victim protection are required to improve the prevention and prosecution of technology-facilitated human trafficking.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

SOC

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Humanities Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Economics, Econometrics & Finance Social Sciences

Description

humanities, social science, sociology, economics, political science, geography, philosophy, history, humanity, behavioral sciences, sociology, journalism and role of media in social science. educational sciences, law and management, anthropology, communication studies, corporate governance, ...